38 against the 3 in 5

First off, thanks to everyone who donated to Eric's community library project, as it is now fully funded!!!! While we wait for the funds to arrive, construction of the temporary library (paid for by the Lena and Alden Memorial Fund) has already started, so that in a couple weeks from now the volunteer reading programs can begin.

On that note, the 38 secondary school students (mostly scouts) had their first day of training today on interactive reading activities, and it was a huge success. To start things off, Eric asked for a volunteer to read a book as he would to primary school students, and the very formal and straight-laced Horacio stepped up. But between using super advanced vocabulary to answer questions, not sharing the pictures with the students, and reading the story through without stopping, it was obvious that Horacio had no idea what reading to a child meant. When we asked the the volunteer's if they'd ever been read tp as a child, the response was the uniform: no. Instead, they readers had only ever been dictated to in the very structured, very formal, and very boring setting of a Mozambican classroom. Having expected this, Eric and his counterpart Manuel spent the next 2 hours teaching the volunteers the simple but important techniques for reading with under-educated children. Beyond the more basic skills of how to read a book at an angle while showing the pictures to an audience, the volunteers were also introduced to more advanced activities like having kids play at interviewing the characters or performing scenes from the story. Using these techniques, the volunteers will be able to keep illiterate 1st through 3rd graders engaged and excited about reading.

Equipped with this knowledge, the volunteer readers will be running an after school reading program at a local primary school starting in the next few weeks. Thanks to the number of students participating, each pair of students will only have to be there for 2 hours a week, making it an easy and fun way to volunteer. Since many of these students are looking to become teachers in the future, this is also a great way to prepare their practical skills. Later on this month, we'll be working with the volunteer's so that they can start teaching consonants and vowels, as well as techniques for getting kids to sound out words. The hope is that we won't only be helping children learn to read, but we'll also be helping pre-adults learn to be better teachers. Now give that Moose a Muffin!!!

In Quelimane, Science Rules!

Government dignitaries taking a look at the experiments,
I think a mini volcano would have been more impressive

Ever since I watched Bill Nye back in 3rd grade, I have loved science. But having never gotten the chance to teach science while in Mozambique, the Science and HIV/AIDS Prevention Fair has been a fantastic opportunity for me to share how I feel about science with Mozambican youth. Moving from a project newbie to provincial fair coordinator to national fair coordinator has been a pretty big change, but this past weekend I took on a new role: oompa loompa. As opposed to last year, where I was running everything as the face, mouth, hands, and wallet of the Zambezia provincial science fair, this year I was only a hand. Since Eric took on the role of Provincial Coordinator, I was free to show up the day before the event, make myself available to help where needed, and to provide reminders, advice, and encouragement (unfortunately, not in a rhyming song while wearing orange face makeup). Though I was sometimes as stressed and crazed as last year, mostly I got to sit back and watch the awesomeness unfold.

Last year's winner, and Alto Molocue resident, Belchoir.
Fierce competition put him in 2nd place this year, but he
still had a great time explaining why cooked potatoes are more
electrically conductive than raw

This year's Fair was in many ways the same as last year's. After the always present formal opening ceremony by some obscure Mozambican government dignitaries, there was an assortment of cultural performances, and then Fair got under way. The 54 students from 11 districts presented 43 different experiments to judges pulled from local science teachers, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and Peace Corps volunteers. The earnest scientists-in-training demonstrated everything from making mosquito repellent made from locally available ingredients to how to build a sound mixing board from spare parts while the judges, other students, teachers, and community members wandered around taking a look at the experiments and learning from the explanations. To anyone from the US, this would be a very familiar elementary school associated sight, but to most of the participants and observers it is still a novelty, which is why this program exists. Since my role as the National Coordinator involves very little at this level, I resigned myself to take care of registration and collecting scores from the judges. With the rest of my time, I watched the students undergo the exciting and nerve racking experience of explaining the scientific principles behind their experiments to the judges and other questioning participants. Seeing this fantastic demonstration of Mozambican youth with a passion for scientific inquiry makes up for months of teaching a subject I have never loved.

I don't remember what Eric said in his speech, but I know that
the kid sitting next to me said "E verdade, ciencia e assim!"
(That's truth, that is science) in response,
so it must have been good

At this point, some of you might be asking "What does this have to do with HIV/AIDS prevention? Why does the US Government support this organizationally and financially under the umbrella of HIV/AIDS relief ?" Well, I'm happy to say that this year's Mozmabican Science and HIV/AIDS Prevention Fair is more HIV prevention-y than ever before. First, there are the awareness messages, in the form of copious amounts of red ribbons and the presentation of several HIV themed cultural pieces (a song about the importance of getting tested for HIV and a play demonizing the discrimination of people who are HIV positive). Then there is the free and voluntary testing made available, after a disappointingly large amount of effort and stress, throughout the Fair (thankfully, of the 17 people tested, 17 were negative). Finally, for the time ever, each participant had to answer true or false questions about how HIV is transmitted and prevented as part of their judging process. All this wrapped into a grant application highlighting the importance of extra-curricular activities to reduce the rate of new HIV infections in youth justifies the US tax dollars spent on this event, as if building a base of science and technology oriented citizens in the developing world by getting kids excited in scientific discovery wasn't reason enough.

Taking my "supporting in the background" role to heart, the
back of my head made an appearance in the winner's
photo while I was fixing a prematurely removed banner

Once the 6 hours of judging was over, Eric announced the special awards (project most relevant to the community, project most related to HIV/AIDS, and best female project) and 3rd, 2nd, and 1st winners while handing them their fancy certificates and prizes. After a flurry of photos and certificate name corrections, the Fair came to an end and all the participants began to leave. Since the two first place winners (8-10th grade and 11-12th grade) from Murrumbala and Milange will be representing Zambezia at the National Fair (also in Quelimane on September 14th) we held a little logistical and strategy session with them and their teachers, and then went back to the hotel to change and shower for the nights festivities.

As opposed to organizing last year's Fair as a lone newbie and the resulting stress, this year's Fair was far more enjoyable. Supporting a new volunteer go through the often complicated process of working with government counterparts (Joao, Humberto and George are awesome!) to plan an event of this scale was simultaneously nostalgic and an satisfying. All I can hope is that the much larger and higher profile National Fair goes just as smoothly. Now if you excuse me, I have a handsome bow-tied nerd genius to channel.

Science Rules!!!!

3 in 5

Scouts familiarizing themselves with some of the books
they'll use for the reading programs

Teachers in Mozambique face a wide array of problems: overcrowded classrooms, cheating students, power outages, insufficient desks, few to no textbooks, lack of instructional resources, dependably late salaries, corruption at all levels of the school system, and occasionally a lack of chalk. But none of these problems are as effective at preventing learning and demoralizing educators as the fact that just shy of 60% of  the students who graduate primary school (7th grade) are functionally illiterate. You read that right, 3 out of 5 students can't read.

A problem of this magnitude is caused by more than the previously stated problems, there are other factors in play as well. Take for the fact that most of the kids can't be taught how to read by their parents because they're also illiterate. Or that though books are intermittently provided for free by the government, they are often used as wrapping paper or to light fires. Or that the Mozambican school system automatically passes students in grades 1,3,4, and 6 removing learning incentives. All of this combined makes for a very inhospitable learning environment and a resulting super majority (3:5=60:100) of illiterate students.

Guebuza giving me attitude

This problem has affected me in various ways. Occasionally, I have to deal with students who can't read the notes on the board. Other times I find that my acquaintances are embarrassed when I ask them to help me spell Portuguese words. But the most direct and personal story related to this problem is via my 8 year old neighbor Guebuza. Guebuza lives with his mother Gloria, his adopted 4 months old cousin Raimundo, and between 1 and 5 other extended family members (constantly changing). Both his mother and father are well educated, employed, and part of the small but rising middle class. Many of his siblings, cousins, uncles, and aunts have attended school and can both read and write. But despite all this, and the fact that Guebuza's in 4th grade, he can't do either. Having tried unsuccessfully to resolve this problem herself, Gloria asked me to help him learn to how read at the end of last year, and I began doing what I could. But between vacations, work responsibilities, and the tendency of an 8 year old to prefer spending his time playing, I was unsuccessful. Thankfully, my site-mate Eric came to the rescue with motivation and early grade reading training, and has recently succeeded in getting Guebuza to recognize all the vowels and many of the constants. Woot woot A, E, I, O ,U, and sometimes Y!!

Eric explaining the project at a meeting with the primary
school's parents, teachers, and students

Unfortunately, the gross majority of the kids in our community don't have a PCV with time to spare as a neighbor, so they'd be left as one of the 3 in 5. That's why Eric has started a project to organize an after-school reading program built around a new primary school library. By mobilizing scouts and secondary school students to volunteer 2 hours a week as  reading mentors at a local primary school, both us and the community are hopeful that we can turn 3 in 5 into 3 in 50. Thanks to an amazing amount of community support and a great coordinator, the project is well on track to have a library up and running by the end of the year (commence shameless plug): all we need is your help for the last little push! If you think that everyone should have the right to read, then please donate whatever you can to Eric's Peace Corps Partnership Plan. We don't get a cent till it's 100%, so the faster it is fully funded, the faster we can start building!

Bars in Africa: Ilha de Mozambique and Out

Now we come to the exciting conclusion of the family trip. After 3 action packed days in Zam-bro-zia, the family left with a rented car and driver for Ilha de Mocambique via Nampula. Thanks to me having to pay my first ever bribe (400mts to a transit police who saw 4 white people as an opportunity), a gas station in Monapo being our of gas, and some impromptu hitch hiking, it was a perfect example of true Mozambican travel.

After arriving in Nampula City, I tried for 2 frustrating hours to get an ATM card, unsuccessfully. Eventually we gave up, and decided to take a quick tour of the Peace Corps Nampula office. This is where I work with Peace Corps staff to discuss primary and secondary projects, pickup packages, get medical exams, and hang out with other volunteers in the lounge. Having this space provides a safe, cool, relaxed, and accessible oasis in the middle of a hot, dusty, sometimes dangerous, but always agitated city 

Once leaving Nampula, we continued to head east towards Ilha de Mocambique in our private car. All was going well until we hit Monapo, where an empty gas station prevented our car from filling up it's tank. As the gas left would not be enough to drop us off and make it back to the previous station, we hopped out and starting looking for a new ride

Any doubt I had about my mom's ability to be a PCV was immediately dis-spelled as an open-backed truck pulled up to the cross-roads. Almost before we had been told we could hop in, my mom ran to the car, threw her suitcase on top of the sacks of cement, and jumped up alongside it. Seeing this display of adventurous spirit, our private car driver turned to me and said with amazement "You're mom has power!". For the next 70 km (45 miles) we had the wind blowing in our hair and a great 360 degree view of the approaching Mozambican coastline.  

Arriving in Ilha de Mocambique, we were dusty, windswept, but exhilarated. We checked into the lovely Hotel Econdidinho and prepared ourselves for the wonderful comforts of the tourism hot-spot of northern Mozambique.

Our first dinner was a perfect example of these offerings: Flor de Rosa. A charming bar/restaurant with a large rooftop patio that specializes in unique mixed drinks and delicious Italian food (lobster gnocchi, yum!!)

The next day we began our tour of the island. Though I had been there many times, I had spent most of my time hanging out with PCVs at bars. As a result, I had missed out on several of the island biggest tourist attractions, like the Fortaleza de Sao Sabastiao

Built by the Portuguese in 1583, it served as the principal defensive fortification for what was then the colonial capital and slave trading hub of Portuguese Africa. Though never conquered, its importance diminished greatly with the move of the capital to Lourenco Marques, now known as Maputo. Thanks to a it's designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, both the island and the fort are being restored to some of their former beauty

Ilha is famous for it's sleepy colonial-city feel, and the eerily empty streets and alley-ways can be both charming and unsettling. Here my sister and I are walking along side Issufo, one of the many local children who we befriended in our short time there. Though most of the multitudes of young-ins were satisfied by the pleasure of calling us "Macuna" (white person), some were after bigger thrills. Issufo, for example, really wanted a soccer ball, which I gave to him after serving as our tour guide, translator (Portugese to Macua), and companion for the day.

During one of my first conversations with my sister from Mozambique, she excitedly informed me that she had met a girl (Erin) at BU who also had a brother in Mozambique. Finding out it was my fellow trainee and good friend Patrick McGettigan, we began plotting a meet up sometime in the future. Over a delicious dinner at the famous Bar Sara (Anthony Bourdain went there!!), we were finally united and had a great time sharing our Peace Corps and family visit experiences. If you ever make it here, try the Matapa Siri Siri, an island spin on my favorite Mozmabican dish: substitute seaweed for collared greens and cashews for peanuts.

As it was the capital of the colonial government, Ilha has a gorgeously gaudy governors mansion. The tour of the former Jesuit college is a fascinating look at the luxurious colonial life, but the museum's stupid no-photo rule prevents me from sharing it with you. At least I can share the school-house looking outside

Though Ilha itself is not known for its beaches, there are a couple nice spots to take a swim at on the island. Just be careful you don't try to take a dip on the ocean-side, as that is where many of the locals go to do "number 2"

To make up for this lack of beachiness, we rented a sailboat for the day and went out to the nearby Capacera Pequena with Patrick and Erin. Since he lives on the Ilha, Patrick has a wealth of knowledge about the area, and his choice of beaches was not to disappoint.

With a crystal clear ocean filled pool full of beautiful fish bordered by white sand beaches and mangrove trees, Capacera Pequena was truly a picture postcard perfect spot to spend our last day together

The next morning, we checked out of the hotel and headed back to Nampula for my family's flight out. After another 'quick' visit to the Barcalys to get by ATM card (finally successful), we did some souvenir shopping and headed to the airport. Through drop-off, check-in, a pre-flight meal, and security, it was incredible to think how fast the 2 weeks had passed. Soon enough, the loud-speaker was unintelligibly barking that the fight to Johannesburg was boarding, and we began to say our goodbyes. Though it was them leaving and me staying, it felt like I was the one going on a journey and not them. Sure they were starting 26 hours of straight travel, but leaving the comfort and close-proximity love of family for 4 more months of being a solitary foreigner is perhaps the greater adventure.

So ends part 3 of 3 of Bars in Africa. Like all family vacations, this one created plenty of fantastic memories and shared experiences, but also a longing for home. As I finish out these last few months of my service, I will be constantly reminded of what linguistic quirks, cultural traits, and daily activities were most interesting to my family during their visit. It will make me relish the things I love, and look at with pre-nostalgia the things I hate. Above all, this trip gave me the ability to look at the place I have lived in for almost 2 years with fresh eyes and a more contextualized outlook.

Bars in Africa: Zam-bro-zia

Welcome back to Bars in Africa, Part 2: Zam-bro-zia. In our last episode, we watched our heroes traverse the mighty Maputo harbor, haggle for overpriced fish, watch animals from a car, and obsess over their butt's (just Rebecca). Now, we follow them into the wild and undeveloped north of Mozambique, as their journey changes from pleasant safari to cross-cultural experience. Enjoy

We arrived in Quelimane late at night and headed straight to our hotel. After an almost 19 hours of travel, the comfortable beds and hot showers at Hotel Nagadas were a welcome site. Here we are sitting outside in the courtyard enjoying the perfect weather of Mozambican winter.

One of the big challenges of our trip was paying for things. Though many of the hotels and restaurants we were at had credit card machines, there was often issues in using them. Whether it was because they actually did not work, or if the owners wanted to avoid fees, we'll never know. Either way, my parents and I got to enjoy the pleasures of  Mozmabican banking: long lines, excessive paperwork, frequent cutting, broken machines, and withdrawal limits

Before we left Quelimane, I arranged a visit to my friend's sawmill. Though originally from Holland, Enrique relocated to Mozambique several years ago to make use of the large amounts of dead coconut trees. Thanks to a terrible blight that  has been mysteriously turning whole plantations into a sea of telephone poles, there is an almost inexhaustible source of free timber just rotting in the ground, and Enrique is making good use of it. This relatively low quality wood is in demand locally because of the high prices on exported hard-woods and timber

Upon arriving in Molocue, we made a quick stop at my house to securely store the goodies (locked trunk with sleeping dog on top) and made our way to my favorite bar/restaurant: Pensao Fambone. While we waited for our exclusive roof top terrace table to be prepared, I trounced my sister in a game of pool. Take that water slide!

The next morning, my sister and I left from my house and went to pickup my parents at the nicest hotel in Molocue (not saying much)  for our tour of the town. This started with a trip into the Mercado Central (central market) for the basic food purchases necessary for the next two days meal's

Though it was a Sunday, the market was pretty well stocked and we found everything we needed: tomatoes, cabbage, peppers, carrots, tangerines, bananas, tuna, bread, beans, eggplant, and rice

We also took the time to search through the wide selection of capulanas available. These colorful fabrics are used for everything from floor rags to baby carriers to material for dresses. My family picked out a few patterns for various uses.

For lunch, we invited Tojo and Gloria over. Along with salad and bread, Gloria brought a homemade Mozambican specialty, Matapa: Collared greens + coconut milk + peanut flour + fired tomatoes, onions, and garlic=Delicious!

My neighbor Gloria with her adopted son/nephew Raymundo. Having trustworthy, friendly, and hospitable neighbors like her have made my time in Molocue super easy

After lunch, we went to the Centro Juvenil (Youth Center) for the specially scheduled scout meeting. With the 4 of us seated in the center, and the scouts seated around us in a wide arc, we had a very entertaining question and answer session. Since all 4 of us were/are scouts, most of the questions revolved around that and our family life. One of the funnier exchanges happened when the scouts became convinced that my parents, and therefore all scouts, got married because of scouting. We also talked about their families and living situations, which was a real window into Mozambican life. Though I was there to translate, my parents and sister did a surprisingly good job of understanding and responding to the questions.

Afterwards, we walked around my school and neighborhood for a while. Here we are in front of the pump near my house

While dinner was cooking (rice and beans), my sister made this lovely addition to my home. I don't know what her obsession is with animal butts ("Look at that butt" was a popular phrase in Kruger), but it does make for funny art

The next day we went out to Monte Rupi for a visit with my favorite Italian Padres (equivalent to my mother saying "you're my favorite son")

Since both my Dad and I are engineers, they figured we'd want to take a look at the blueprints for the monastery under construction. Seeing the full vision was impressive, though it provoked a lot of questions about the point of a giant beautiful building in the middle of no-where. What I keep telling myself is that the combination of teaching locals new skills, providing an space for reflection and contemplation, and just pure getting-something-done in a region where most people are content to sit around and watch clouds go by make it worth it

During the trip, my sister and mom took it upon themselves to make up for my lack of English lessons with Tojo. Between Rihana, Justin Bieber, and MJ songs, they gave him a lot of new material, but what stuck was a new phrase: "Oh shit!". Rebecca used it when she realized that she had left her backpack at the monastery upon our arrival in Alto Molocue, and it instantly became Tojo's favorite expression. We've run out of rice: Oh shit! Our car to Ilha de Mocambique leaves at 5am: Oh shit! My dad loves rice and beans: Oh shit!

Sticky was a regular fixture of the visit and made a good show of his chilled out but loving ways. On our way out, he followed my sister and I from my house to my parents hotel, waited for our car to arrive, and then ran behind the car while we drove out of town. Such a good pup!

Family photo on top of Rupi. Showing your family where you've been living for the past 18 months in a quick 3 days was tough. But between the walk around, meals with neighbors and friends, scout meeting, and school tour, I think they came away with a good idea of what my daily life is like.

So ends Part 2 of the Bars in Africa mini-series. When we're back, our heroes will go on an epic journey to Ilha de Mocambique, enjoy some much deserved R&R, and get called "macuna" (white person) by at least 100 different children. See you next time.

Bars in Africa: Arrival and Animals

For the longest time, I have been looking forward to these past two weeks. Being able to share one of the most transformational places of my life with some of the most important people in my life was sure to be incredible. As the Bars have a long tradition of far flung family vacations (see Belgium et. al.), coming to visit me in Mozambique could be seen as just material for another family photo album. But thanks to many factors, it was so much more. Since putting all the details into one post would be a little daunting for both myself to write and my lovely audience to read, I have decided break our trip into installments of heavily captioned photos. Today we’ll start with Part 1, Arrival and Animals.

We spent the majority of our first afternoon at the Maputo Fish Market, a sea of tables of and tourists. Upon arriving, you get swarmed by restaurant workers trying to get you to sit at their tables through sheer overwhelming enthusiasm.

After sitting at your table, it's time to go select what of the day's catch will be your meal. The 40 or so stalls that make up the market carry all types of sea food, but we settled on a 20lb fish, 3lbs of tiger prawns, and 2lbs of calamari. Pro tip: keep constantly giggling sisters at a distance, as they tend to blow your "tough negotiator" vibe

Once we purchased our catch, we sat down at the table to enjoy our beers and food. PCVs Adrienne Marvin (Moz 17, pictured above) and Vicente Rodriguez (Moz 16, not pictured above) joined us for lunch

My mom enjoying the tiger prawns. Though she doesn't normally eat shrimp, the freshness of the fish and the experience warranted an exception.

Though you can't tell it, my dad was beginning his tour of Mozambican beers at this point with a frosty Manica, second only to 2M by his ranking.

Our hotel's pier/bar/restaurant where we enjoyed a night-cap in front of the Maputo skyline. Thanks to the Belgian owners, they had both Chimay Bleu and Duvel available to celebrate Belgian Independence Day (July 21st)

Next day we took a bus to the South Africa border crossing at Crocodile River and on our way into Kruger Park

After picking up our SA rental car, we made our way to the Malane Gate and into the park. The welcoming committee was already there waiting for us, causing my elephant obsessed sister to promptly freak out

Over the next few days of rental car and game drives we saw everything: rhinos, baboons, warthogs, impala, kudu, horn bills, water buffalo, zebras, giraffes. Each one prompted their own Lion King reference.

"They call me Mr Pig!!"

"It doesn't matter, it's in the past"

"This is the morning report. You get the long and the short......"

On one of our mornings, we went on a bush walk with two Kruger guides. Though we didn't get to see many animals, we did learn a ton about poop. For example, did you know that rhinos regularly poop in the same location? This is known as a miden, which they use like a smelly messy brown message board. If one rhino is just passing through, he'll do his business near the miden in a small tidy pile just to say "hey, what's up?". But if they want to throw down with the owner of the miden, they'll  use the middle of the pile and stomp it all over the area saying "whatcha gonna do about that?"

On another day we went to the Elephant Whisperers Sanctuary for some personal time with our favorite cartoon character (Babar). Super touristy, but in the the best way possible

Beyond touching and riding elephants, we also learned about their lives and habits. From how many times they poop a day (up to 19) to the gestation period for calves (22 months!), they are truly fascinating animals.

In the afternoon we would relax by using our hotel's awesome water-slide. This photo shows my disappointment at getting trounced in this round of the classic sibling rivalry. Rebecca is by-far the best at flying down a large plastic water lubricated tube at high velocities. I concede the title to her greatness

Thanks to his sharp eyes, radio friendships with every guide in the park, and years of bush experience we were able to see all of the big 5 (lion, leopard, water buffalo, rhino, and elephant) within a single hour. Go Gert!!

On our last morning we went on a game drive with Gert (pictured above), a master of all thing mammalian

Upon our return to Maputo we went to visit the CFM train station, an architectural masterpiece designed by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel.

There, we met two Maputo based US expats who I've become friendly with (Larry and Diane). The rarely used station platforms are a great place for lunch

Before we made our way to the airport for our flight to Quelimane, Larry gave us a tour of the first and only synagogue in Maputo. Who knew?

So ends Part 1 of this series. Next ti

me on "Bars in Africa", my sister teaches Tojo a new phrase and my parents reveal the true foundation of their relationship: scouting.